There were several observations considering small and local businesses that correlate with tourism.
When we first arrived on Friday, Feb. 27, the Can Restaurant beside our hotel is pretty much tourists centered. Every employee had basic ability for English listening. Among them, one waiter was also proficient in oral English so communication is guaranteed. This situation is dominant in local restaurants or dessert places in tourist-centered districts like Fatih. I spoke with the owner for a fish restaurant in Fatih who traveled to different countries and studied abroad. He is proficient in Arabic, Turkish, English, and French.
The owner of Halis Bekrizade Efendi, a dessert place near Karakoy Fehicular, told me that they learned basic expressions of different languages from apps on phone like Dolingo. He said, “Understanding different languages is necessary if you have a store in tourists-centered districts. Foreign costumers will feel surprised when you bump out several phrases in their languages and thus tend to buy more stuff.”
Local corporations also realize the importance of tourism in their business. The transit company we had a talk with on Thursday, May. 5th, is developing to make the metros more tourists-friendly. Metro stations on European side of Istanbul where tourist attractions are concentrated have English announcement and signs. Also, they cooperate with local school in setting up student volunteers who can speak foreign languages to stations in summer (high season of tourists).
